James Holder | |
---|---|
Born | James Michael Holder December 1971
Studley, Warwickshire, England |
Occupation | Businessman |
Known for | Co-founder of Superdry Founder of Jack1t (Liquidated) and Trench London (Inactive). |
James Holder is a British businessman who co-founded the fashion brand Superdry.
Born in Studley, Warwickshire, he was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon and went to college in Leamington Spa where he studied graphic design. [1] [2] As a teenager, he enjoyed reading comics. [2]
Holder started his career in fashion by selling T-shirts from the back of his mother's car at BMX events. [1] He went on to found the skateboarder label Bench. [1] He was made bankrupt in 1998. [1] While running Bench, Holder met Julian Dunkerton, who made a large order of Holder's products. [2] They later travelled to Japan together before founding Superdry. [3]
In 2003, Holder co-founded Superdry with Julian Dunkerton as a market stall in Cheltenham. [4] In 2004, they opened the brand's first physical store in Covent Garden, London. [5] [4] Holder was responsible for clothing design and brand development at the company. [6]
Holder said that he and Dunkerton spotted a "huge gap" in the UK men's market. [7] He has said that the initial inspiration for the brand was Dunkerton's love of Americana and his love of Japan and typography. [7] [2]
In 2005, Superdry experienced a period of growth after David Beckham was seen wearing the brand. [1]
In 2010, the business was floated. [5] Holder led Superdry's product innovation division until 2016. [8] Holder also led SuperDesignLab, which was responsible for launching spin-off brand Superdry Sport. [9]
In 2016, Holder resigned from the company, but continues to hold a stake. [5] [6]
In 2018, Holder joined fellow co-founder Julian Dunkerton in criticising Superdry's business strategy, claiming that it was unable to compete with ASOS.com. [5] [8] [10] [11]
He lives with his wife Charlotte, a lawyer, and their son and daughter. [1] [12]
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